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Description: 'Fresh, local cuisine with a touch of Southern elegance.' The award-winning Swan Terrace Restaurant takes guests on a sensory journey inspired by both regional and authentic Colonial dishes. The menu features locally grown fruits, vegetables and the freshest seafood as well as prime beef, lamb and pork prepared to perfection. Dine by the fireplace or alfresco on the lakeside terrace.

We are local and have been dining at the Swan Terrace for over ten years. We are particularly fond of the delicious Saturday lunch buffet. It is never boring and always has a wide variety of new delicious recipes. Stephen, who produced the lunch dishes today, could not have been presented a more appealing array of dishes. The fresh string beans steamed in mild wine were to die for. Along with this vegetable, he created very lite cheesy gits dish with just a hint of southern cooking. The protein entrees were tarragon roasted chicken (my personal favorite), grilled flank steak then topped with crumbled blue cheese pieces and filet of sole with a delicious light sauce. We are very picky diners and rarely eat any type of meat, however the quality of the food at the Swan Terrace has never disappointed us so we do partake of the protein at this particular restaurant. If you want a relaxing lunch buffet with all the amenities of fine dining, I recommend the Swan Terrace. Be certain to ask if Stephen is the chef on duty and ask to be seated at either Emily or Catherine's table. Bon Appetit!

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Ask lpswmr about Swan Terrace Restaurant

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

FoundersInn, Manager at Swan Terrace Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded October 27, 2013

Dear Ipswmr,Thank you for taking the time to leave a review on trip advisor. It is always nice to see that members of the local community are regular guests at the Swan Terrace. We have many talented chefs that work together to create stunning dishes for the buffet so that it contains a variety of items our guests many enjoy. We are pleased that although you do not eat meat at many restaurants that our chefs create dishes that will tempt guests who may not otherwise indulge. We are glad that you find our lunch a bufffet dining option that allows for relaxation, wonderful food items, and great service. We look forward to having you return soon.Cheryl StephensAsst. Manager Swan Terrace.

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Excellent cuisine on the dinner menu especially the 3- course Prix Fixe menu where superbly crafted offerings are available. The breakfast buffet is hearty and fresh and the a la carte menu is equally satisfying. Try the oatmeal with cream, nuts, brown sugar, and raisins on the side. Saturday Tea was a delight with tea sandwiches, savories, mini-scones and desserts. Overall Swan Terrace has a varied menu, exceptional cuisine and personable service

Ask Wanderlustsuzy about Swan Terrace Restaurant

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

FoundersInn, Manager at Swan Terrace Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded October 17, 2013

WanderLustSuzy,We are pleased to hear that you visited the Swan Terrace restaurant for multiple dining experiences while in Virginia Beach. We are known to the Founders Inn Guests and locals alike for our buffets at both breakfast and lunch daily. The old fashioned oatmeal and southern style grits on the breakfast buffet are true southern breakfast staples. The dinner menu has wonderful choices to create a dining experience no matter what type of food you prefer. The afternoon tea which we have begun brings the elegant tradition of English Tea to Virginia Beach. Harney and Sons has provided a selection of teas, which pair well with both the savory and sweet items. Thank you for taking the time to let us know how we took care of you while you were here and we look forward to taking care of you again in the future.Warm Regards,Cheryl StephensAsst. Manager

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We went to Swan Terrace for our 24th wedding anniversary and loved the lunch buffet. The staff was wonderful and helped us celebrate our special day with a surprise dessert and anniversary wishes. A wonderful place with a classy atmosphere and excellent food. We also ordered a bottle of wine which was packed up for us as we left; we didn't drink it all. The staff even took pictures and sent them to us via email. Great fun!!!

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Ask berliner05 about Swan Terrace Restaurant

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

FoundersInn, Manager at Swan Terrace Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded October 13, 2013

Dear Berliner,We are always excited when guests choose us for their special occasions. We enjoy making special plates and items as a surprise at the table. The lunch buffet always has many options to choose from created daily by our chefs. I am thrilled that you recieved the photos from your time with us. We hope that you will choose to visit us again in the future.Warm Regards,Cheryl StephensAsst. Manager

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We stayed at The Founders Inn to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and just happened to be there for the Oktoberfest Bavarian dinner, a five-course Bavarian-style meal paired with beers from Ayinger, a German brewery. Our server Shannon was incredibly attentive and polite. The food was wonderful; the only "negative" thing to say about the meal is there was simply too much food, and I cringe to think of how much veal was thrown away because the portions were too large.

The restaurant is next to the garden and pond, so the view is beautiful.

We also did the breakfast buffet the following morning, utilizing the 30% coupon we received upon checking into the hotel. The food was again very good (omelets to order, always a big hit with us), and Emily was such a lovely server, even offering us to-go cups of coffee when we were leaving.

We intend to stay at The Founders Inn again, and will definitely eat at the Swan Terrace while we are there.

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Ask Jennifer P about Swan Terrace Restaurant

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FoundersInn, Manager at Swan Terrace Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded October 7, 2013

JenniferP,Thank you for visiting trip advisor and leaving a review so that we know how we are meeting our guests needs. I am pleased to hear that you came to dine with us on your Anniversary. The Bavarian Beer Dinner was part of our First Annual Oktobefest weekend. The veal was the largest course served and we had many guests ask if the leftovers could be packaged to take with them. We will gladly package any leftovers to go. The breakfast buffet with the made to order omelet station is the highlight of many hotel guests stay. The to go coffee is always a favorite as well. We look forward to having you return to the Founders Inn and The Swan Terrace.Regards,Cheryl Roberts-StephensAsst. Manager

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First time for the Tuesday special, and for multiple birthday celebrations. Slow start when the first waitress was challenged by our drink orders. She returned after about a ten minute wait w/ our two Pepsis, an iced tea and one water. Ordering was easy w/ the buffet, and getting minor things like crackers for the oysters and chowder proved too hard for her; I ended up getting the cooks at the buffet line to get them for us. Emptied the drinks, no waitress to be found so we flagged down a waiter who was great. Great right up until he vanished, only to be replaced w/ a really great waitress who provided insight to the problems w/ the newest young servers. Food? OK at best for the price. Once, then maybe not again.

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Ask mbPaK about Swan Terrace Restaurant

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

FoundersInn, Manager at Swan Terrace Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded October 7, 2013

mbPak,Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We appreciate your feedback on how your Tuesday night went during your visit. I apologise that you did not receive the excellent service that we are known for. The feedback you have left will allow us to better take care of all of our future guests. We hope that you will return to enjoy our food and that you will find the service that exceeds your expectations.Sincerely,Cheryl Roberts-StephensAsst. Manager

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